Friction clutch



April 21,1942. c, B. SPAS Em, y 2,280,356

. FRICTION CLUTCH INVENTORS BY. fz? KM A ORNEY Patented Apr. 21, 1942 FRICTION CLUTCH Charles B; Spase, Nedrow, and Robert S. Root, Syracuse, N. Y., assignors to W. C. Lipe, Inc., Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 19, 1940, seria1N0.314,664 4 Claims. 192-68) This invention relates tofriction clutches of the type used inmotorvehicles and similar; situations, and particularly to clutches, when in off` position remainin off position, and when in on position are. held on without the usual-A clutch spring or springs, and has for its object e a clutch in which the operating mechanism involves a lever element or elements which moves` into or beyond dead `center lines when the clutch is engaged.

It further hasfor its object a clutchv in which Y the levers, which hold the clutch engaged, Vwhen indead center line, thrust against a thrust ring,` preferably having some resiliency, which thrust, ring is readily adjustable to take up for `the clutch wear. ,u

It further has for its object a thrust ring,` and the adjusting means therefor, hereinafter described. i

appear throughout the specifica-v Other objects tion.

The inventionconsistsin the novel features and inthe combinations; and constructions herein after` set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, referenceis had` to the accompanying drawings invwhich like characters designate corresponding parts in al1 the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinalsectional;

view of` a clutch embodying this invention.

\ Figure 2 is an enlarged rear elevation, partly broken away and partly in section,` lookingr to the 1 leftinFigure 1. I A Figure 3 is a` fragmentary diagrammatic view ofthe thrust ring and contiguous portions ofthe back plate element seen in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 of aslight` ly different embodiment of the` invention `with respect to thel thrust ringand` the adjustment;

therefor. u u I I Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, looking to the left inv Figure 4. c I f Figure 6 is a fragmentary diagrammatic View of the thrust ring. i

The clutch comprises, generally, driving and driven members, a pressure ring element anda back plate element rotatable with one of said members, usually the driving member, a clutch shaft, 4thevother of said clutch members beinga friction disk mounted 0n the clutch shaft and extending between the former member `and the pressure ring element, and the invention relatesv to clutch operating means including levers, each pivotedvat one end to one of said elements, preferably .the pressure-ring element, andcoacting at its other end with a thrustsurface carried on the,

-other element or back plate, and initially ar- IHS `being effected in conjunction with fulcrums' I6 carried by the back plate and coacting with thev outwardly or high bowed portions I2 at I1 near ranged in locking position in or near dead center i lines passing through the pivotal point of the' `lever and the point of engagement with the thrust ring, when the clutch is engaged, the levers being4 shiftable about their pivots out rof" said center lines to disengage the clutch.

I designates the driving member; 2 the driven member;v 3 the shaft, as the engine shaft to which the driving member is secured; 4 the clutch shaft on which the driven member is slidably splined', this driven member being ar ydisk having friction faces 5 onopposite sides thereof.

65 is a pressure ring element and 'I a back plate element. The pressure ring element 6 is rotatable with the driving member I andis here shown as interlocked with the back plate 'I which issecured to the driving memberA I. The drivenA `member 2 extends between the bottom of a recess.

8 in the driving member I and the pressure ring. Suitable springs 9 are connected to the pressure ring and to the back plate 'I to quickly relieve the driven member 2 of the pressure ring when' the-throw-out or operating mechanism clutch is operated to off position.

II designates a thrust ring which, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, is shown as carried by the back plate 1, this ring being of` the .distorted or waved out of the normal plane to form alternating highportions I2 `and low portions I3, these, in the constructions shown in' Figures 1, 2 and 3, being reversely arcuate or in the form of bows with the high arcuate portions" or bows projecting toward the pressure ring 6` and the low bowed portions toward the 'back` plate 1. The thrust ring Il' is secured to the back plate by clamping members, as screws I4, extending through the low bowed portions I3 and through the back plate `and having nutsV I5`o`n their outer ends, by means of' which they can' be tightened or loosened to distort the thrustA ring when said nuts are tightened to cause the `bowed portions I2 to be drawn in farther'away" from the pressurel ring 6, this bowing operationv the ends of said portions I2. Loosening of. the,

nutsIS effects the reverse operation, or the pro-f jecting ofthe bowed portions I2 farther toward the pressure ring, due to there-action of the ring` under its own resiliency and the distortion due` to the-low portions I3 moving farther away from'` the back plate and tending to force the high portions I2 toward the pressure ring. Tightening of the nuts tends to shorten the ring in a circumferential direction, and loosening of the nuts to lengthen it. The shortening operation draws in the high portions and the loosening operation permits them to project farther under the resiliency of the thrust ring II. The fulcrums I6 are provided on base plates I8 inserted between the back plate 1 and the low portions I3 of the thrust ring II and held from dislocation by the screws I4 Obviously by turning nuts I5, to tighten them the lower bowed portions will be pulled toward the back -plate 1, causingl the high portions I2 to flatten when being drawn over the fulcrums I1 and loosening of the nuts will relieve the tension tending to flatten the high portions I2 and permit the high portions to project farther toward the pressure ring. n

Thev back plate, is in the form of a cup and is secured at its rim to the member I by screws I9. It is also formed with slots in which peripheral lugs ZI on the pressure ring B interlock to cause the pressure ring E to rotate with the driving member I.

22 designates the links or levers between the pressure ring 6 and the thrust ring II, each ofiv these being in the illustrated embodiment of thel invention, pivoted at one end at 23 to the pres' sure ring 6 and coacting at its other end with the thrust ring II or the high bowed portions I2 thereof, the links being provided with rollers 24 for coacting with the thrust ring. When the clutch is engaged, the link is arranged in a dead center line A-A or slightly beyond a dead center' line. The dead center line is a line passing through the center or pivot 23 and the point of engagement of the roller 24 with the thrust ring II when the clutch is engaged, as shown in Figure l. When the clutch is disengaged, the point of engagement of the roller 24 with the thrust ring shifts out of said dead center line into the position shown in dash lines (Figure 1) permitting the springs 9 to re-act and withdraw the pressure ring 6.

The operating mechanism, in addition to the levers 22, include radially extending arms or levers 25 and a throw-out or operating sleeve 2li movable along the clutch shaft 4 and operated by any suitable or well-known mechanism.y These arms or levers 25 are secured to or rigid with the levers 22, and together therewith formV a general T formation, but preferably with the arm 25, which constitutes the leg of the T formation out of right angular relation to the lever 22, constituting the head of the T formation. These arms 22 are pivotally connected or articulated to the sleeve 26, and as here shown, are formed with ball-shaped ends 21 arranged in an annular peripheral groove 28 in the sleeve 26. When the clutch is 01h the levers 22 are in the dotted line position (Figure 1) and upon thrusting or pullingof the sleeve outwardly or to the right (Figure 1) the parts move into their fpos'i- 65 tion shown in Figure 1, in which the levers 22 move into the dead center line A-A passing through the pivotal point 23 and the point of engagement of the roller 24 with the high portions I2 of the thrust ring II, so that the clutch is locked in in position. The thrust ring or the bowed portions are resilient, so that during the movement of the levers 22 into their dead center or locking positions, they do so against some spring action. As the clutch wears, the bowed portions I2 may be projected higher by loosening the nuts I5.

In the form shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the thrust ring III is fixed to the back plate, as by rivets 30, and is formed with high and low portions II2 and II3 and initially the rollers 24 of the levers 22 coact with the low portions, but as the friction faces 5 of the disk 2 wear, the wear is compensated for by turning the entire back plate structure 10 about its axis to bring the high portions I I2 in position to coact with the rollers 24.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, these high and low portions II2 and II3 are so arranged that the high portions are located diametrically opposite low portions, and hence when adjustment is necessary, the screws I9. by which the back plate is secured to the driving member I, are removed, and the entire back plate given a half turn, and the screws replaced. The half turning obviously brings the high portions I2 into engagement with the rollers 24 of the levers 22. Also, in the form shown in Figure 4, the thrust ring III diverges outwardly from the back plate 10 toward the pressure ring 6 and the dead center line B--B of the lever 22 diverges outwardly from a line parallel to the axis of the clutch but at a right angle to the inclined face of the thrust ring. 'I'he inclined face of the thrust ring acts as a cam or wedge.

In either form ofthe invention, the levers 22 are substantially in a dead center line, when the clutch is engaged, so that the clutch is locked in engaged position against the resiliency of the thrust ring, and in either form of the invention, the thrust ring is adjustable to take up for wear of the faces of the clutch disk.

What we claim is:

l. In a friction clutch including driving and driven members, a pressure ring element and a back plate element rotatable with one of said members, a clutch shaft, and the other of said members being a friction disk mounted on the clutch shaft and extending between one of the members and the pressure ring element; the combination of a fulcrum ring carried by one of said elements and having high and low portions, and throw-out means comprising a lever pivoted to one of said elements and coacting with the high portion of the fulcrum ring and arranged when the clutch is engaged, so that the pivotal axis of the lever to one of said elements and the point of engagement of the lever with the fulcrum ring, are in a straight line substantially parallel to the axis of the clutch, and being shiftable on its pivot out of said center line to disengage the clutch, the fulcrum ring being resilient and the high points comprising portions bowed out of the plane of the ring toward the element to which the lever is pivoted, and means operable for varying the curvature of the outward bowed portions to compensate for Wear of the friction disks.

2. In a friction clutch including driving and driven members, a pressure ring element and a back plate element rotatable with one of said members, a clutch shaft, and the other of said members being a friction disk mounted on the clutch shaft and extending between one of the members and the pressure ring element; the combination of a fulcrum ring carried by one of said elements and having high and low portions, throw-out means comprising a lever pivoted to one of said elements and coacting with the high portion of the fulcrum ring and ar#` ranged when the clutch is engaged, so that the pivotal axis ofthe lever to oneof said elements and the point of engagement ofthe lever `with the fulorum ring, are in a straight line substantially parallel to the axis of the clutch` the lever being shiftable out ofsaid center line to disengage the clutch, the fulcrum ring being resilient and the high points comprising portions bowed out of the plane of the ring toward the` element to which the lever is pivoted, means operable to project the bowed portions outwardly different distances to compensatefor wear of the friction disk including fulcrums coacting with` the bowed portions near the ends thereof, and clamping means coacting with the low portions of the fulcrum ring and operable when tightened to move the low portions toward vthe back plate and when loosened to permit the lowportion to move away from the back plate and cause the high bowed portions to project farther toward th pressure ring element.

3. In a friction clutch including driving and" driven members, `a pressure ring element `and a back "plate element rotatable with` one of said members, a clutch shaft, and the other of said members being a friction vdisk mounted on the element, and throw-outmeans including levers,

each pivoted at one end to the pressure ring and coacting at` its other end with one of the high portions of the thrust ring and arranged when the clutch is engaged, so that the pivotal axis point of engagement of the lever with the fulcrum ring, are in a straight line substantially parallel to the axis of thev clutch the levers being shiftable out of said ,center lines to ,disengage l the clutch, a throw-out sleeve slidable along the clutch shaft, and Imotion transmitting means between the throw-out sleeve and the levers to shift the same on their pivots.

4. In a friction clutch including driving and Y driven members, a pressure ring element and a back plate element rotatable with one of said members, a clutch shaft, and the lother of said members being a friction diskmounted on the clutch shaft and vextending between said one of the members and the pressure ring element; the

combination of a thrust ring carried by the back plate element on the inner side thereofV and opposed to the pressure ring element, the thrust ring being resilient and distorted out of the general plane thereof to provide high bowed p'or-V tions opposed to the pressure ring element and low bowed portions toward the back plate ele'- inent, means operable on thel low bowed portions` `to distort the ring, varying the distance the high bowed portions projecttoward the pressure ring element, said means being operable from the outside ofthe back plate element, throw-out means including levers, each pivoted at one end to the pressure ring and coacting at its other end with one of the high portions of the thrust ring and arranged when the clutch is engaged, so that the pivotal axis of the lever to one of said elements and the point of engagement of the lever with the fulcrum ring, are in a` straight line substantially parallel to the axis of the clutchvthe levers being shiftable out of said center line to disengage the clutch, a throw-out sleeve slidable along the clutch'shaft, and motion transmitting means between the throw-out sleeve and the levers to shift they same on their pivots.

VCl-IARIJS B. SPASE. ROBERT ROOT.

of the lever to one of said elements and the 

